Wire netting machine



March 13, 1951 H. KITSELMAN WIRE NETTING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 JNVENTOR. .1772? 7 L. A7755; Mn/v,

March 13, 1951 H K sEL AN 2,544,838

WIRE NETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1947 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 BY .Zfwer .MrsELMH/Ig.

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March 13, 1951 rrs 2,544,838

WIRE NETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1947 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIH' Filed Dec. 8, 1947 12 Sheets-Sheet 5 ZNVENTOR. 1mm x1. 117/351 M/Mf,

HTT'OPA/EUKi March 13, 1951 H. L. KITSELMAN 2,544,838

WIRE NETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1947 1-2 Sheets-Sheet 6 HTI'UPA E i March 13, 1951 H. KITSELMAN WIRE NETTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 March 13, 1951 H. KITSELMAN WIRE NETTING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 INVENTOR.

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March 13, 1951 H. L. KITSELMAN WIRE NETTING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 9 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 I INVENTOR. IMML/fim'LM/r/g GENE/ 5.

March 13, 1951 rrs 2,544,838

WIRE NETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1947 12 Sheets-Sheet 10 IN V EN TOR. Z42)? y Z. M7551. M/M

March 13, 1951 H. L. KITSELMAN WIRE NETTING MACHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed Dec. 8, 1947 INVENTOR. file/2y L. MrsEL hang W4 HTTU/PWZYS.

March 13, 1951 H. KITSELMAN 2,544,833

WIRE NETTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 8, 1947 12 Sheets-Sheet 12 Patented Mar. 13, 1951 NETTING MACHINE -Harry L. Kitselman, Muncie, Ind., assignor to Indiana Steel and Wire Company, Muncie, Ind.,

a corporation of Indiana Application December 8, 1947, Serial No. 790,382

19 Claims.

My invention relates to machines suitable for use in the manufacture of wire fabric, such as that commonly known as poultry netting. Most machines in commercial use for this purpose embody an endless series of rows of twister gears supported from a suitable carrier in a pattern corresponding to that of the locks in the fabric which is to be made. The twister gears are provided with radial wire-receiving slots, and the gears of each row mesh with a common rack which, when moved longitudinally of itself, rotates each twister gear of the row and causes it to twist together the wires which have been previously deposited in its slot.

Practically all fabrics of the kind adapted to be made on a machine of the type to which this invention relates embody both line wires and mesh wires, the former extending longitudinally of the fabric and each of the latter following a zig-zagpattern into alternate association with adjacent line wires or with other mesh wires. Various mechanisms have been proposed for forming the mesh wires into the necessary zig-zag pattern. In one type of wire-forming mechanism, shown in my prior Patent No. 2,053,221, for example, the mesh wires are bent by abutments projecting outwardly of the gear-carrier from slidable bars which are mounted between the adjacent rows of twister gears. In another arrangement, the mesh wires are deflected alternately in opposite directions as they enter into association with the twister-gear carrier and attain their final form as they become seated in the twister-gear slots. In one such prior machine, the wires are deflected by abutments mounted on sliding rods associated with an auxiliary drum which meshes with the twister-gear carrier; and the wires thus deflected are deposited directly into the slots of the twister ears.

Each of the above noted old wire-deflecting mechanisms possesses one or more disadvantages. In mechanisms such as those shown in my prior patent above referred to, the available space between adjacent rows of twister gears limits the dimensions of the gears, of the gear supports, and of the sliding, wire-deflecting bars located between adjacent rows of twister gears; and as a result, it is frequently diflicult to provide adequate strength and rigidity in such parts. In those machines in which the wire is deflected on an auxiliary drum and transferred directly therefrom to the twister gears, it is necessary to maintain rather accurate synchronization between movement of the auxiliary drum and movement of the twister-gear carrier, and it is moreover difficult to prevent interference between the wiresupporting elements of the auxiliary member and the twister-gear supports of the gear carrier. In those constructions in which the wire is merely deflected laterally in opposite directions as it enters into association with the twister-gear carrier, it is difficult to provide in the deflected wires the slack necessary to permit them to be twisted together or about line wires without introducing excessive stresses. In order to provide slack,

and/ or in order to prevent interference between" twister-gear support and wire-deflecting or depositing mechanism, machines of the two latter types frequently embody a twister-gear carrier so constructed that the distance between adjacent rows of twister gears varies in the operation or" the machine. It is the object of my invention to produce an improved poultry-netting machine which will possess advantages over other machines of which I am aware. More specifically, it is myobject to provide a machine in which the mechanism employed to deflect the mesh wires of the netting into the necessary zig-zag pattern will be separate from the mechanism employed to form the locks in the fabric, thus making it possible for the design and construction of each mechanism to be independent of the other and for all parts to possess adequate rigidity, strength, and durability. Another object of my invention is to produce a wire deflecting mechanism which will provide the proper amount of slack in mesh wires to permit them to be twisted together or, about line wires without introducing undue stresses. A further object of my invention is to produce an improved construction of the twister-gear support provid ing greater simplicity, strength, and rigidity and facilitating the removal and replacement of twister gears.

In carrying out my invention, I preform the mesh wires into the pattern whichthey are to occupy in the finished netting, and feed such preformed mesh wires to the lock-forming mechanism together with any marginal or other line wires which are to be embodied in the fabric. With allmesh wires and line wires properly positioned the lock-forming mechanism i operated to secure the mesh wires to each other or to line wires, and the finish fabric isthen stripped from the lock-forming mechanism by an appropriate stripper roll. The preforming' mechanism and the lock-forming mechanism are conveniently in the form of drums mounted for rotation in timed relationship on spaced, parallel axes. Each pre forming drum may embody a series of abutments which, in the rotation of the drum, are moved relatively to each other to deflect each' mesh gear which .is subsequently rotated to form, the lock. Theftwister gears are arranged on the twister drum in rows corresponding to the pattern of the locks in the finished fabric, and the twister drum is provided with an annular series of axially extending bars, one for each row of gears. Plates disposed on oppositesides ofeach bar project radially outwardlytherebeyond and;

are provided in their opposed faces with recesses for rotatably receiving the hubs of the.as soci,

ated twister gears. Wedges disposed between adjacent bars of the twister drum are so formed that upon movement radially inwardly of the drum they will engage the plates on opposite sides. of them andforce suchplates into firm engagement with their respectively associated bars. Disposed between eachrow of twister gears and its 355001! ated bar is an axially movable rack which meshes with the twistergears to rotate them jointly when the rack is moved axially of the drum. Because the mesh wiresare fed to the drum in deflected condition, tension in the wires cannot be availed of to seat the wires in the slot of the twister gears; and for each set of mesh wires fed tot-he twister. drum. I therefore provide a wireseating roll provided with bars which mesh with the twister drum and engage the wires to force them positively to the bottoms of the slots in the twister gears. To facilitate meshing of the wire-seating rolls and the twister drum, the side surfaces of the plates which support the twister gears and the side surfaces of the bars on the wire-seating rolls are given a general involute shape. The general involute shape on the gear-supporting plates facilitates stripping of the finished fabric from the twister drum.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention:

through a preferred form of machine; Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation illustrating the discharge side of the machine; Fig. 3 is an elevation of the opposite side of the machine; Fig. 4 is an axial section through one of the forming f drums on the line 1-4 of Fig. 6; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the forming drum; Fig. 6 is a transverse section through the forming drum on line 85 of Fig. 4; Fig. '7 is a side elevation of one of the forming-drum bars; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7; Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic development of a forming drum and its related cam} Fig. l0 is a iragmental axial section through the twister drum; Fig. 11 is a section on the line I i'- l I of Fig. Fig. 12 is a fragmental end elevation in partial section of the twister drum, Fig. 13 is aira'grnental section on the line l3!3 of Fig. l2; Fig. 14 is a fragmental isometric view of a guidetubensed to guide preformed mesh wires to the twister drum; Fig.. 15 is a timing diagram; Fig.16 is afragmental transversesection illustratingthe meshing engagement of the twister drum and one of the rolls employedto seat thefabricwires in the slots of the twister gears; Fig. 17 is an axialsectionfthrough a wire-seating roll; Fig. 18

is an axialsection and Fig..19 a transverse section through the stripperiroll; Fig. 20 is a fragmental transverse section on the line 2il2fl. of Fig. 10,

with parts.broken away; Figs. 21Qand 22 are ele- 4 vations of opposite ends of the machine; Fig. 23 is a development of one of the cams employed to rotate the twister gears; Fig. 24 is a fragmental isometric development showing successive stages in the formation of the netting; Fig. 25 is a development of a portion of the twister drum in the plane of thenetting; Fig.. 26.'.is aviewsi ar to Fig.1 illustrating a,modifiediorrnofi-machine embodying but a single forming drum; and Figs. 27

and 28 are fragmental developments showing the manner in which the netting is formed by the machine of Fig. 26.

General arrangement As willbe evident from the semi-diagrammatic illustrations constituting Figs. 1 and 2, my preferred machine embodies a base 23 and two spaced housings 2B and 25 extending between which there are a twister drum 26 and lower and upper formingdrums 21 and.28, all arranged for rotation in thesame direction about. parallel, horizontal axes. One set of mesh wires, designated in Figs. .1 and 2 by .the referenceletter A, is fed into the .machine near the. bottom thereof, passing over guide rolls.29...and.3fl, around the forming drum-2l, and through-.aguide tube...3I:-.to the twister drumlfi. The second set of meshwires,

designated by.the.reference.letter B, enters the machine near the top, passing over guide rolls 83 and around theiormin .drum 2B,- and through a guide tube 35 to the twister drum 26. Marginal or other line wires to be embodied in the fabric are conveniently-fedio the machine with the mesh wires but-suchline wires are bypassed around the formingdrums and guide tubes, and are fed to the twister drum from auxil- A,-together with-the line wiresC. are deposited Fig. 1 1s a diagrammatic vertical. section.

on the twister drum in advance of the point at which the second setof nesh wires B and line wires Dare deposited.

The forming ldrums 21 and 28 operate in a mannenwhich ;will be described more fully hereinafter, ,to deflect the respective sets of mesh wires A and B. in alternate. directions into, the form illustrated at A anchB' in Fig. 2. To seat both thedeflected mesh wires A1 and ,B in the slots of thetwister gears carried by thetwister drum. 28 ,1 employ a pair of wire-seating rolls 4d and etwhich engage the deflected mesh wires A and B respectively as they enter into association with the twister drum 26 and force them radially inwardly thereof. The wire-seating roll dfl in addition to seat ing. the first set of mesh wires A; in the .twister gears may. also be em.- ployed touseatthe line wires C; and the roll 41 maybe employed in similanmanner to seat the line wires D. Itwillbe understood that after theline wires andboth sets of mesh wires are deposited in the ,slots of the twister gears, the twister ,gears will be causedto rotate in the continuedgrotatio of the..-twister drum 26 to form thelllocks of{the fabric. After-such locks have been formed, the finishediabric, designated by thereierence letter E, is stripped from the twister drumjsby a stripper roll 53 and passes thence over guide; rollers 44; and qfi; to any convenient m-1 i kerv meehen sm. i t ew h The two forming drums 2'5 and 28 are substantially identical, and it therefore will be necessary to describe but one of them in detail. To that end, details of construction of the drum 28 are shown in Figs. 4 to 8. As will be evident from those figures, the drum embodies a central supporting shaft 50 which is rotatably supported in any convenient manner from the housings 2d and 25. Mounted at spaced intervals along the shaft 55 are a plurality of spiders 5| each of which is provided at its periphery with an annular series of slots for the reception of two sets of alternating, longitudinally extending bars 52 and 53 which are arranged for axial movement relative to each other. In the machine shown, only one set of bars (the bars 53) move axially in operation of the machine, while the other bars remain in axially fixed positions; but this arrangement is not essential. To the outer face of each of the bars 52 and 53 there is secured an axially extending plate 5 3 carrying a series of axially spaced forming elements 55, conveniently in the form of U-shaped staples having ends which are received with a press fit in holes in the plate. The end spiders 5| are located outwardly beyond the ends of the plates 5 3 and are provided with keepers 55 which overlie the bars 52 and 53 to prevent their radial outward movement.

At one side of the machine, the shaft 5i! oarries a pair of shift-rod supporting spiders 6i! and 6! Each of such spiders is keyed to the shaft 58, and the outer spider Ell is axially fixed on the shaft as by means of a set screw 52, while the inner spider 6! is axially slidable on the shaft. The adjacent end portions of the spider-hubs are provided exteriorly with screw-threads of opposite hand which are received within an internally threaded sleeve 53. By rotation of the sleeve 53 relative to the shaft 59, the spider 6| can be adjusted axially toward or away from the spider 85 for a purpose which will later become apparent.

The two spiders 5B and BI are provided in their peripheries with annular series of aligned slots for the reception of axially movable shift-rods 65, one of such shift-rods 55 being provided for each of the axially movable bars 53 of the forming drum. Segmental keepers 63' overlying the rods 55 are secured to the spiders to hold the rods in place. Each shift-rod 55 projects inwardly beyond the inner spider 5! and is there connected to the adjacent end of one of the movable bars 53, convenientlythrough the m dium of screws 53 and a thrust-transmitting key 55. The opposite end of each shift-rod 65 projects outwardly beyond the outer spider 60 and is there provided with a cam-following roller 56 which is received between two cams 6i and 58 secured in any convenient manner upon the outer surface of a cam cylinder 64.

The two cams 5i and 68, between which camfollowing rollers 58 on the shift-rods 85 are received, are complementarily shaped, as indicated in development in Fig. 9. In conformity with Fig. 4, it is assumed in Fig. 9, that the rods 65 and the rollers 66 they carry progress upwardly along the cam in the operation of the machine. As will be clear from Fig. 9, the cams are shaped to provide a roller-receiving race including a dwell 69,

an inclined portion la in which the shift-rods 55 are moved outwardly of the drum, a second dwell H, and a second inclined portion E2 in 6 which the shift rods are moved inwardly of the drum to return the rollers 66 to the dwell 69.

For convenience in describing the wire-forming operation which occurs as the rollers 56 traverse the cam-slot 59--l9-1l-'l2, I have in Fig. 9 designated as 54a those plates 54 which are secured to the stationary rods 52 and as 5% those plates which are secured to the shiftable rods 53. As each roller 66 traverses the dwell 69,

each stable 55 on the associated movable plate 5th will be located a short distance inwardly beyond its corresponding staple 55 on the adjacent axially fixed plates 55a. As the drum rotates, the rollers 56 successively traverse therace-portion It to cause outward movement of the respectively associated shift-rods 55, bars 53, and plates 54?). In the outward movement of each plate 541:, the staples 55 thereon pass the corresponding staples on the axially fixed plates 54a. The

plates 54b remain in their outer positions while their associated rollers traverse the dwell H; and as the rollers pass through the inclined raceportion 52, the plates 54b are restored to their inner position. The cams 61 and 68 are so oriented about the axis of the drum that the mesh wires B enter into association with the drum near the end of the dwell 69, or at about the point indicated by the reference letter P in Fig. 9. Each wire B reaches the face of the drum between corresponding staples 55 on adjacent fixed and movable plates 5% and 541), so that in the immediately ensuing outward movement of the plates 5% the wires will be deflected into the form indicated at B. The deflected wires remain on the surface of the drum to a point, indicated at Q in Fig. 9, beyond the end of the dwell ii.

The relation between the angular extent of the race-portion it, which produces outward movement of the movable plates 54b, and the angular interval between adjacent ones of such plates is of considerable importance. For any given throw of the plates 5% against a fixed force, an increase in the angular extent of the race-portion 1E! would reduce the thrust transmitted from the cam 68 to the roller 56. However, the movement of each outwardly moving plate causes each wire to be drawn over the staples on all the following outwardly moving plates, the friction between such staples and the wire will create tension in the latter, and such tension will oppose the outward plate-movement. The longer the race-portion Hi, the greater will be the number of plates 54b which are simultaneously engaged in outward, wire-deflecting movement, the greater will the angular extent of the race-portion ii! is only about twenty percent greater than the angular interval between adjacent plates 5% with the result that no more than two of such plates are moving outwardly at the same time and during the greater portion of the outward movement of each plate no other plate is so moving.

The tension induced in the wires by the staples 55 on outwardly moving plates 55b tends to draw the fully deflected wires rearwardly over the staples on those plates 5% whose associated rollers 55 are traversing the dwell H in the camamass-s race; It is consequently: essential that "enough of the plates 54b be retained :at'the' 'outerlimit of their r movement to anchor the fully deflected wires effectively and prevent them from being drawn rearwardly. Inthe camshown, theangu lar extent-ofth'e dwell?! :is'four timesthe angularinterval betweenadjacent plates 54b, and A there consequently will "always be at least $0111" of such plates at the-outer -limit of plate-move ment.- With four plates' so located, thedefiect'ed mesh wires are effectively-anchored against rearward movements deflected wiresthus leave the drum withoutop position.

Theforming drum 2'! maybe identical with the drum 28 and the-movable plates it carries may be-"reciprocated by a cam- 'i68' (Fig."3)--identical with thecam' 5l68 above described- Itwill ofxcourse be-nnderstood that the orientation ofthecam-BI SB abOut-the axes of the drum 2'! withrespect to-the tangentialstretches of undeflected and defiected mesh'wires -A'and A" will be thesame as the orientation of'the cam 5l68 with respect to'the tangential stretches of the- See the timing :diagram,

meshwires B and B. Fig. 15:

The extentto which the mesh wires are offset by the associated'forming :roll will depend-upontheaxial positions ofthestationary :plates 54a relative to that of the cam 8'I68. Opposite ends position-by a set-screw #3. -By rotating the sleeve 63 which interconnects the two spiders 68 and 61, the axial position of the inner spider can be varied towary the axial position of the bars 1 52 and plates 54m When the inner spiderhas been-adjusted toposition the plates 54a properly, the collar-l3 is forced against the endsof the-bars- 52-and the set-screw 73 is tightened.

Lock-forming mechanism 1 The twister drum comprises a 'shaft 75 "(see 7 Fig} 2) rotatably supported from and extending betweenthe housings 24 and 25. Between the housings, such-'shafthas rigidly mounted uponit a plurality of-"spide rs lG-(Fig. 10) provided in theirrespectiv'e peripheries with series of aligned slots in which axially extending bars H are mounted. k The bars 'll'have a width greater than thei -depth of. the bar-receiving slots in the spiders andhence project radially outward beyond the peripheries of such spiders. To hold thebars in -position; they are notched at their outer corseries of gear-supporting plates 19 which are located on opposite-sides'of the ban-which eX-- tend longitudinally of the drum; andwhich pro jectradiallyoutwardly beyond the outer edge of the bar. In eachspace between plates l9 respec-- tivelyassociated with adjacent bars Tl there'is' disposed-a wedge The wedgesSflextend lon-- 8 gitudinally of the"drum -and"are" provided in the planes of the spiders T6 with radial openings for the reception of screws 8I extending ifitdsciwthreaded holes in the spider's; It will be'appare'ht that by ftightening' thescrews 8|, the twofseries' of gear-supporting plates Won the opposite sides of each w'edge will be forced tightly against the bar-ell respectively associated with themI' At intervals alongitslength, each of the bars H is provided with openingsior the reception of dowel pins '(Figsjm and '12) which, in the construction shot'vn', project from both races of the bar to be received inopenings 'BS' in the asso'f ci'ated plates 'lflfwhereby-the'plates are located in definite"positionboth radially and longitu dinally of the drum; The distance between the ends of the "dowels in adjacent bars fl is made greater thanthe thickness of plates 19 which're ceive such dowels,' so that upon removal of the wedge Bilany adjacent plate may be slipped off the dowels which it receives, as indicated in 'Fig. 12, and removed from the drum.

Near'their 'outerjedges and in their opposed faces, the plates 19 associated with each bar 7'! flare providedwith ned recesses 81 which rotatably receive the hubs 88 of twister gears 89. Each of the twister" gears 89 is provided between two adjacent teeth with a radialslot 90 extending inwardly beyond the gear-axis; and at each twister gear the plates 19 are slotted, as shown at '19, to permit the fabric wires to enter the'twisten gear slot. a

The twister gears of adjacent rows on the drum are disposed in staggered relationship correspending to the pattern of locks in hexagonalm'esh wire fabric. Betweenadjacent gears the plates 19 are slotted' as indicated at 91, to receive marginal or other'line wires. Beneath each row of gears there is disposed'a toothed rack 92 which meshes with the gears and which is slidably supported by the associated bar I! and plates 19. As will be obvious; 'the gears of each row canbe rotated in unison by axial movement of their associated rack 92.

Adjacent racks 92 project outwardly beyond opposite ends of the drum for connection to rack-moving mechanisms located respectively in thehousings 24 and 25 and capable of moving the racks axiallyof the drum as' the latter rotates.

The rack-moving mechanisms at opposite ends Such rack-mo'ving mechanism (see Figs- 1O and 11) comprises a hollow cain cylinder 35 which is disposed concentric with'the shaft 15 and'nonrotatably connected to the'outer wall of the nous ing 25, 'such' cylinderbeing' providedwith'bearing' sleevesefi'rotatably supporting the shaft'l5'.

At theinner'end-of the 'carn'cylinder a gear 91 is secured to the shaft 75, and between such gear and the adjacent-end of thecam cylinder I provide-a thrust bearing 98. A second gear '99 corresponding in siz'e'tothe'gear 9'! is rotatably supported 'from' the camcylinderefi adjacent the outer end-thereof;

For each of the'racks' 92 which projects toward it from the adjacent endof the drum; the'gear 91- is provided'with an opening slidably receiving a rod lill operatively connected to' the associatedrack 92.'"- Conveniently, 'each rack 92 is provided" at itsendwith an outwardly projecting bracket" I92 whichisreceived between nuts mil-mounted on' the screw-threaded end of-the'rod llll. The

opposite end of each rod IOI is secured to a slide I mounted for axial sliding movement upon adjacent guides I06 which extend between the gears 9'! and 99 and which are conveniently secured in aligned openings in such gears, as by screws I01 mounted in the gears. Each slide I85 carries a roller I08 which co-operates' with inner and outer cam segments I09 and no secured to the cylinder 95.

A development of the cam IDS-I In is illustrated in Fig. 23. In agreement with Figs. 10 and 11, it is assumed in Fig. 23 that the cam-following rollers I08 progress upwardly along the cam in the rotation of the twister drum. The inner cam segment I09 has a fiat portion IElBa providing a dwell during which the rollers I88, rods IQI, and racks 92 are at the inner limit of their movement, an outwardly inclined portion I691; which forces the rollers, bars, and racks outwardly, and an inwardly inclined portion I890 permitting a slight inward movement of the rollers, bars, and racks. The outer cam segment IIil has an inwardly inclined portion IIUa complementary to the inwardly inclined portion I890 of the inner cam segment, a fiat portion I IIib providing a dwell during which the finished fabric is stripped from the twister drum, and an inwardly inclined portion IIIlc which acts on the rollers I08 to force them inwardly and restore the bars as: and racks 92 to their inner position.

The machine is so arranged that both sets of deflected mesh wires, together with the line wires, will be deposited in the slots 90 of twister gears meshing with racks 92 whose associated rollers I88 are traversing the dwell Ill9a. As the rollers H38 successively come into engagement with the inclined cam-portion 3%, they are moved outwardly to cause outward movement of the racks and rotation of the twister gears to form the locks in the fabric. The axial extent of the inclined cam portion I091) is somewhat greater than that necessary to rotate the twister gears through an integral number of complete revolutions, and at the conclusion of the lock-forming rotation of the twister gears the slots 96 therein will have been carried through a small angle beyond a position of alignment with the slots I9 in the plates '19. However, the axial extent of the inwardly inclined portions I 990 and I Illa is such that at their termination the twister gears will have been rotated rearwardly to bring their slots into coincidence with the slots I9. If the twister gears terminated their lock-forming rotation with the gear slots 9!! in alignment with the slots 19, the elasticity of the wires would cause them to bear with considerable force against the sides of the gear-slots, thus creating a frictional drag which would seriously impede the operation of stripping the locks of the finished fabric from the gear slots. By continuing lock-forming rotation of the twister gears until the slots Eli therein have moved beyond the slots I9, and by subsequently rotating the twister gears in the reverse direction until their slots come into alignment with the slots I9, the torsional stress in the wires is relieved and the locks may readily be removed from the gear slots.

The rack-operating mechanism located within the housing 24 is identical with that above described except that the cam I09-.I II! is of opposite hand.

To facilitate removal of any of the guides I96 for the purposes of inspection or replacement, the outer end wall of each of the housings may be provided with an arcuate slot IIZ (Figs. 10

the preformed mesh wires A.

and 21) opposite the ends of such guides and having a width greater than the guide-diameter. By operating the machine to bring opposite. the slot II2 any guide which it is desired to remove, and by removing the screws Ifl'l which hold such guide in place in the gears 91 and 99, the guide can be withdrawn through the slot.

The effort required to produce loch-forming rotation of the twister gears involves axially directed forces of substantial magnitude. I have found it desirable to confine such axially directed forces as far as possible to the twister drum and rack-operating mechanisms andto isolate them from the housings 24 and 25. To aid in obtaining that result, I employ (Fig. 10) an adjustable spacer at each end of the twister drum between the inner gear 91 and the adjacent end spider I6. Such a spacer conveniently comprises inner and outer screw-threadedly interconnected sleeves I I5 and H55, as shown in Fig. 10. The inner sleeve, as there shown, has a loose fit on the shaft I5 and is provided at its outer end with an annular flange carrying set screws I I1 which bear against the adjacent end of the gear 91 to oppose rotation .of the sleeve II5 relative to the shaft and gear.

The outer sleeve I It bears against the outer face of the adjacent end spider I6. When properly adjusted, the adjustable spacer II5II6 takes up all axial lost motion between the gear 9? and the twister drum. A lock nut I It operates when tightened to hold the sleeves H5 and IIS in the proper position of relative adjustment. With such an arrangement, the inwardly directed axial thrusts exerted by the rollers I08 on the inner cam I09 are transmitted to the cam cylinder and through the thrust bearings 98, gears 91, and adjustable spacers I I5I IE to opposite ends of the twister drum. If desired, a portion of the thrust imposed on each of the innergears- 91 may be transmitted directly to the shaft I5 through the use of a set screw I I9 in each of such gears.

To prevent the transmission to the housings 24 and 25 of any of the axial faces incident to the lock-forming operation, cylindrical pins I29 extending through the outer housing-wall and into the adjacent cam cylinder are employed to hold the cam cylinder against rotation.

A preferred form of guide tube for guiding each of the preformed mesh wires into association with the twister drum is shown in Fig. 14, which illustrates the tube 3|. As there shown, the tube comprises a pair of parallel plates SIa-and 35b one of which is provided with spaced, parallel ribs 3Ic having a height somewhat greater than the diameter of the mesh wires. The plates, with the ribs 3Ic, define a plurality of parallel slots each of which freely receives and guides one of Wire-seating and stripper rolls The construction of the wire-seating rolls 4t and 4| which operate to seatthe wires of the fabric in the bottoms of the twister gear slots is illustrated in Figs. 16 and 17. Each wire-seating roll comprises a shaft I2I supported in suitable bearings I2I" from the inner walls of the housings 24 and 25. Rigidly mounted on the shaft l2I are a plurality of axially spaced spiders I22 provided in their peripheries with annular series of slots for the reception of axially extend: ing bars I23. Within the'radial limits of the bar.- receiving slots, each of the spiders in is pro: vided' in its opposite faces with annular grooves I24 adapted'to receive pins I25 mounted in and spiders 1?? softhateacli' bar can be brought into ass iati'on withfthejspiders by. movingfit first ra 1 ly" into the spider-slots and then axially a l'the pins (25. be'jcomes eated in grooves'fl'zli in theseveral spider's. "Adjacent bars "I23 are oppositely arra'n'g'edin medium so that the pins l'lfilthey respectively carryjvvill be seated in the grooves 'l24 in opposite'faces of the spiders I 12. In such an arrangement, alternate bars at each end o f the drum willp'roje'ct 'axially outward beyond the ,r'ernaining'barsJ (Compare the two bars I23 illustrated in Ffigl' 17,) 'At each end of the roll a cellar'll'fi is slidably mounted on the shaft 1 2! and'is adaptedto be held i n fixed axial position the shaft 'as'by'a set screw.l2fL The diameter' or the collars I 2 is great enough to permit themto overlap radially the endsof the bars I23, aii'djeach collar is providedwith openings for the reception of screws 128 which enter screwthreaded holesinjthe adjacent ends'pider i3 2 {lightening of the screws 123 ioreesthe collar inw ma or the roller ahdicauses are seat firmly in the grooves f 2 of all the spiders the pins 25 on the'bars which it engag'es. "I: it becomes necessary to remote oneof the bars 123 reneplacement orrepair, it necessary only to loosen the w 21 nd. 12, seel i' i ith h lar I'Zfi Which engages the end 'o f the bar tcbe repIacedQthus permittings'uch collar'and the bar to be moved axially outward of the roll until the pins I Zion thejbar a e-free or the'grooves L24, whe eu n the fbarcan be remove radially.

" r rogrr i i' eit willbe appare t that'the' bars 12; ch r. h owir e tin en a a d are received in the twister drum in the spaces between adjacentpa irs or plates 19, "Ijhedisfiance between the axes of each roll and the twister drum is sueh that theouter edges of the l te 2m n force t e w esio t e arm to thebottoms' of the slots in thetwist-er gears.

It is unnecessary to provide means for driving the wire-seating rolls qqand' tll as the effort required 'to'rcltate them is so slight that they can be driven by engagement with the fabric wires and/or the plates 19 on the twister drum, To prevent interference between theplates '79 on the twister dru'rn' and "the barsfi 2 3 of" the wire-seatingrolls, the outer portions of the faces or such plates and bars aredesirahly given the generally involute shape" indicated at I313 in F lg g.. i e t "he stripper roll 43 is illustrated in Figs. 18 and 19. As there shown; r011 comprises a shaftl-32 rotatably sui DO rte'd from" the housings 24-and 25 through bearings 133; The shaft l3} carries a plurality of' axially'spacedspiders 134 provided in their p liph ery' with slots for the reception of axially e'xt'endingbars 135/ To one side face of each of -the-bars l35there are secured an axially extending series of plates {36 which project radially outward beyond 'the'bars 1 ndo h' outer d e fwhieh e r ie ib provide teethlB'I adapted toenterbpenings' in Driving n ech nism For the, purpose of driving the machine (see Fig. '3) I mount on one end of the frame 23, conveniently outwardly beyond the housing 2 5, an electric motor MI; or other source of power 0peratively connected to a speed reducer I 41. The speed reducer is in turn connected, as through ser es 14.2,, ith a e eei ieei e shed which extends throughthe housing 29, parallel to the twister 'driinifahd intbthe housing '25, being rotatably supported from thejhous'ing by bearings his;- Within each*housing,-- a pair or equal-diameter gears 14}? are, secured to the shaft M3 in position tO' mesh with 'th e'gears 91 and 99 of therack-operatingmechanism mounted in such housing." By such an arrangement, the two gears 9'1 and 99 areindependently driven and it is possible to mount the gear 99' on the cam cylinder 95 rather than on the shaft 15 and, at the same time, tdefiminate bending stresses in the guides extendingbet'ween the two gears 91 and 95. As each gear iskeyedf't'o the'twister-druin shaft rotation of the synchronizing shaft lit "will result rotation of twister drumf For the purpose or driving the two forming drums 21 and 2S,'the shafts 5Q thereof project outwardly beyond the outer wall of the housing where they carry sprockets lefi. The shaft 75 likewise projeets outwardlybeyond the outer elli th housing fien s'i e p o ded in the plane of the sprockets Mdwith a drive sprocket lfie. A driving c em m /set r as of double width, is trained over the'sprockets M5 and 146 and'also over ari idler lef'by :means of whichthe'chaidm'aybe tigl tened. While the tw forming drums fl and 2a rotate in the same direction as does the twister drum, the stripper roll 4l3j'whichis also positively driVenQrotates-in the reverse direction. To provide the reverse rotation of the. stripper roll 4$,a pairofparallel'eountershaft's and IE9 are mounted within thehousin'g i2 5 and are operatively conhected 'by gears B;-

of such"countershaftsfshown as the shaft M6, projects 'outwardly beyond the outer wall of the housing 25 where it is provided wane sprocket l5! meshing with achain 152 which in. turn meshes with asecond spioeket"l 5 3 on the shaft 1'5; The other "countershaft I projects" in wardly through the in'ner side wall of th'hodsing' 25 and is operative'l'y' con'r'iecte'd to the shaft I32 of the stripper 01; qs pyeehaiii drive O er o In setting up the machine for operation, the mesh wires A are led over the rollers 29 and 3G to the forming drum 2?; being. woven through the staples approximately to that point at which the deflected wires will. leave such drum. The mesh wires 33 are similarly trained over'the rollers 33 and 34 and onto the formingdrum 28. The'machine is then started and run until the deflected wires Af and B formed by the. drums 27 and 28 are long enough to pass through the uide tube 3| and 35' and, intofthe. slots. or the twister gears on the twister drumZB. The machine is then stopped, and the deflected 'mesh wires are passed through the respective guide tubes to the twister drum and engaged in the slots of the twister gears. Ifhe marginal wires C and D, or other linewlires' which Icy-pass the forming drums 2'! and 28, are led overthe guide rolls '36 and into 'the'twistergear slots. As such line wires'are not deflected out or their respe tive vertical planes, the can readily be drawn our the" path they are tofollo'w' without the necessity orbpemtmg rhe machine.

After both se'ts ofmesh wires and the line wires have been brought into the slots of the twister gears, the machine is' again started until enough fabric hais'been formed to be engaged by the S kes; T e end eff h f br is e engaged with the teeth I31 of the stripper roll, and the machine is again started, the end of the fabric being led over the roller 46 and around the roller 45 to the take-up mechanism. The roller Ad is conveniently mounted upon the synchronizing shaft Hi3; but as it rotates in a direction opposite to that of the synchronizing shaft, it is desirably mounted thereon through the roller or other anti-friction bearings I55.

With the leading end of the fabric engaged with the take-up mechanism, the machine is ready for continuous operation, the various steps in which are indicated in the timing diagram constituting Fig. 15, and in the developments constituting Figs. 9 and 24. As will be evident from Figs. 9 and 15, the mesh wires A enter into association with the forming drum 2'! at the point P where the plates 542) are at the inner limit of their movement. As the forming drum 2'! rotates, the plates 5% are moved outwardly to form the offsets in the wires, such offsets being completed before the deflected mesh wires A leave the forming drum at the point Q. The deflected mesh wires A pass through the guide tube 3| into the slots of the twister gears, being forced to the bottom of such slots by the blades I23 of the wire-seating roll 40. The mesh wires B are similarly deflected by the forming drum 28; and the deflected wires B pass through the guide tube 35 and into the slots of the twister gear. Referring to Figs. and 24, the mesh wires A together with the line or marginal wires C reach the bottoms of the slots in the twister gears at the point S, while the deflected mesh wires B and the other line or marginal wires D are seated in the bottoms of the twister slots at thepoint T. Immediately beyond the point T, the rollers IE8 at opposite ends of the machine engage the incline-d portions I091) of the twister cams to draw the associated racks 92 outwardly and. cause the twister gears to rotate to form the locks in the fabric. Such lock-forming rotation of the twister gears, including the overtravel thereof and the return to the position in which their slots are in alignment with the slots I9 of the plates 19, is completed before each row of twister gears reaches the point U, at which the finished fabric leaves the twister drum topass around the stripper roll 43.

Beyond the point U, the rollers I08 engage the inwardly inclined portions IIBc' of the cams H5 and are moved inwardly to restore the racks 92 to gears again to receive the line and mesh wires Machine of Fig. 26

The modified form of machine illustrated in Fig. 26 embodies a design which is especially suited for the manufacture of relatively coarse hexagonal netting, although it can if desired be embodied in a machine for the manufacture of netting of smaller mesh. The machine embodies a twister drum 26, a pair of angularly spaced wire-seating rolls 4% and M, and a stripper roll 43 generally similar in construction and mode of operation to the corresponding elements of the machine above described. In contrast to the previously described machine, however, the machine of Fig. 26 embodies a single preforming drum Ifiii. The drum I80, like the drums 2? and 28, embodies alternating axially fixed and axially movable plates 54!; and 54?) provided with wire-engaging abutments 55; but for netting of any given mesh-size, the spac- I the margins.

ing between adjacentstaples on each plate 54 of the drum I65 will be only half as great as in the case of the staples on the drums 21 and 2B.

In the machine of Fig. 26, all mesh wires are fed into the forming drum I together, passing over appropriate guide rolls including the rolls 38. In the operation of the forming drum the mesh wires are bent into zig-zag pattern as shown in Fig. 27; and on leaving the drum I59, one set of alternate wires, designated as A, pass directly to the twister drum 25, while the other set, designated as B, pass over a guide I'oI and enter into association with the forming drum 26 at a later point in the rotation of the latter. As in the previously described machine, the wire-seating roll 48' operates to seat the mesh wires A in the slots of the twister gears, while the wire-seating roll t! performs the sameoperation on the second set of mesh wires B.

The lengths of the respective paths followed by the wires A and B differ by an amount equal to an odd multiple of the linear distance between the center-lines of adjacent fixed and moyable plates 5% on the drum I69. As a result, when the second set of mesh wires B" is deposited in the drum 26 the hexagon-mesh pattern is completed, as shown in Fig.28. Thereafter, the twister gears are rotated as in the machine of Figs. 1 to 23 to form the locks in the netting, and the netting is stripped from the twister drum by the stripper roll 43.

In the drawings, I have contemplated a netting in which the only line wires are those at It will be obvious, however, that additional line wires can be distributed throughout the width of the netting, if desired. It will likewise be obvious that my invention is not limited to the manufacture of hexagonal netting but may also be employed to produce the socalled straight-line netting, which embodies a series of laterally spaced, parallel line wires and a single set of mesh wires, with each of the mesh wires intertwisted alternately with two adjacent line wires. Since straight-line netting embodies only a single set of mesh wires, a machine for making it need embody but one preforming drum.

I find it desirable to make the effective length of each of the staples 55 of the preforming drum somewhat greater than the overall thickness of each assembly embodying 'one of the twisterdrum bars and its two associated plates, with the result that the longitudinally extending stretches in the preformed wires will be longer than the locks in the finished fabric. This is indicated in Fig. 25, where a dotted-line showing of the preformed wires and the staples is superposed on a representation of the finished netting in place in twister gears. The extra length of the longitudinal stretches of the preformed wires provides slack which prevents the twisting operation from creating undue tension in the wires. Variations in the exact amount of slack so provided can be effected by varying the axial position of the fixed bars 53 of the forming drum in the manner previously described. Such adjustment of the bars 52, which is employed to increase the amount of ofi-setting of the mesh wires when more slack is desired and to decrease the amount of offsetting when less slack is desired, may result in so forming the mesh wires that the lateral distance between adjacent longitudinal wirestretches will differ from the distance, measured axially of the twister drum, between the twister .31 :igearsof:adjacentrows. .This is immaterial, howz-evenubecause. the slots 19' in the gear-supporting :plates :are provided with widened mouths, as

shown in Fig. 13, and hence will receive the mesh vwiresandipermit. them to be seated in the twistergear slots by theseating rolls-40 and 45 even if .the wires, as preformed, are not in precise'registrywith the lower portions of the slots. The .precisecontrol of slack which may be effected by adjustment .of the bars 52 is very advantageous, as it provides for the correction of manufacturing inaccuracies and permits accommodation to be made for Wires of different diameter.

Another advantageof my invention arises from theafactthat the mechanism which deflects the meshwires into 'the'desired'pattern is entirely separate from'the twister drum. This permits relatively'great freedom of design, in that the twister-gear support need 'not be arranged to accommodate wire-shifting'elements between ad- ;jacent'rows of twister gears nor the axially'shiftable wire-preforming bars arranged to provide space betweenthem for rows of twister gears. The diameter of each pre'forming drum and the number of axially shiftable bars embodied in it may be independent of the diameter of the twister drum and the number of rows of twister gears. .The diameter of the twister drum may be made :smaller, and the number .ofrows of twister gears -.correspondingly reduced, because it is unnecessary todevote portions of each revolution of the twister drum to wire-deflecting:operations.

Still-another advantage of my invention arises ,irom the fact that the'amount of intertwisting of the wires forming each lock depends upon the initialarrangement of the wires with respect to the direction .of rotation of the twister gear forming the look. For example, with the mesh wires A and B arranged tangentially'and axially of the twister drum as indicated in Fig. 24, if the twister gears which receive the pairs of superposed wires on the line T- I' are assumed to rotate in a counterclockwise direction during the lock-forming operation, each end of each lock will possess one full turn of twist for each rotation of the twister gears. However, if the respectivejpositions of the two sets of wires A and B axially and circumferentially of the drum were reversed, the first half-turn 'o'f rotation of each twisterzgear on'the'line T-'T would merely invert the wires-associated withiit,.only thereafter would intertwisting .begin, and each end of each lock would possess one-half turn less than in the previous instance. :By my invention it is possible to control, and to vary if desired, the initial arrangement of the 'wires'with respect to the direction of look-forming rotation of each row of twister gears. In the machines illustrated and above described, the axial disposition of each .set of mesh wires is determined by the position of the associated guide-tube 3|, and can be varied by moving such guide tube parallel to the twisterdrum axis. The presence of the free stretch of each preformed mesh wire between its forming drum and the associated guide tube makes it unnecessary to change the axial position of the forming drum if the position of the guide tube is changed. The circumferential disposition of each set of mesh wires in the forming drum might be varied by providing slack in the free stretches of the preformed mesh wires; but I prefer to vary it, and to avoid such slack, by changing the relative timing of the twister drum and each preforming drum. Such change in timing can be provided for in any convenient manner, as by mounting the sprockets Hi5 (Fig. 21) for angular: adjustment relative to the 'respective'forming-drum shafts 50.

axial'variations will be by an amount equal to one-half the distance between adjacent'twister gears in any row and circumferential shifting will be'by an amount equal to the distance between :adjacent rows of twister gears. In ordinary mesh'patterns, axial shifting of mesh wires must always be accompanied by circumferential Shifting-in order to prevent the longitudinally extending portions-of the mesh wires from entering-the slots 9| instead of the twister-gear s ots.

In the case of twister'gears which receive a marginal or other line wire, the amount of intertwisting of such line wire with the adjacent mesh wire can be varied by a half-turn by varying the order in whichthose wires are deposited in the twister-gear slots. With theline-wire guide rolls 38 arranged as indicated in-full lines in Fig. 1, the mesh wires A will be deposited on the twister drum-before the margin wires C are deposited;

but with theguide-rolls 35 shown as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, deposit of the margin wires will precede deposit of the mesh wires.

raduated.

I claim as my invention:

'1. In amachine for making wire netting, an endlessseries of spaced, parallel rows of slotted twister gears, a movable support therefor, means forfee'dingtwo sets of mesh wires, a wire-forming mechanism associated with each set of mesh wires and operating in timed relation with said twister-gear support-each said mechanism operating to form ineach of its associated wires a series of lateral off-sets, guides for guiding both sets of'fo'r'medmesh wires into association with said support at spaced points thereon, means at each of such points for forcing formed mesh wires into the slots of the twister gears, and mechanism operablein the movement of said support for rotating the gears of each row after thepreformed mesh wires have been deposited in the slots thereof.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 with the addition that said twister-gear support is of cylindrical form and rotatable about its axis, each of said wire-forcing means comprising a drum rotatably mounted at one side of said carrier for rotation about an axis parallel to the carrier axis, said drum having an annular series of axially extending, wire-engaging bars successively receivable between adjacent rows of twister gears on said carrier.

3. In a machine for making wire netting, a rotatable drum, an annular series of pairs of opposed, axially extending plates carried by said 

